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Three Israeli friends vacationing in Hawaii were hailed as heroes at the weekend after risking their own lives to save eight drowning children on a remote beach.

The friends - Yair Naftali, Gabi Liptz and Tsvika Elias - were surfing at a beach about one hour from Honolulu when the waves became dangerously high. As the trio began to move towards shore, Elias and Naftali spotted a group of children struggling against the waves.

"On the shoreline we saw the mothers watching powerless as their children as their children were drowning in front of them," Elias told Israel's Channel 2 News.

The Israelis battled the intense waves for 40 minutes and eventually managed to get all eight of the children safely to shore, where rescue crews were by that time waiting treat any wounded.

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